TLCA: Midland school's opening delayed

Fire code issues force postponement

MIDLAND — The start date for Midland's newest charter school, Texas Leadership Charter Academy, has been pushed back one week to Aug. 26.

TLCA administrators learned Wednesday that the school's building — the educational activities building at Lifehouse Fellowship Church, 3300 Thomas Ave. — was not fire- or code-compliant as an educational school setting.

"The safety of our kids is the primary and most important consideration and some things we didn't realize need to be done before we can open," said TLCA Principal Denise Rives.

TLCA administrators worked with the Midland Fire Department to identify solutions and ultimately decided to postpone school a week to allow for the installation of fire alarm systems, said Midland Fire Marshal David Hickman.

"It's very unfortunate it happened right at the last minute, but our sole interest is the protection of those children," Hickman said.

If TLCA installs a fire alarm system throughout the building and seals off the two open stairwells next week, Hickman said MFD officials will be able to clear the building for temporary occupancy.

Once fire alarms are installed, Hickman said TLCA will be "just as safe as any other school in the Midland system" and parents should not worry about sending their children to school there.

TLCA will begin the school year using only the first floor of the 34,000-square-foot building while necessary fire code renovations occur in the open stairwells and on the second story, Rives said.

"This building is just perfect for our needs — just not up to current fire code," she said.

When the building was constructed in 1984 as Crestview Baptist Church's educational activities building it was not required to have fire alarms, sprinklers or separation walls under the old Southern Building Code, Hickman said.

Current codes for educational school spaces do require fire protection systems, he said.

To remain open long-term, TLCA must either install fire sprinklers throughout the building or create fire separation walls within the building every 1,200 feet to meet all remaining building and fire code requirements, Hickman said.

"They will have to submit drawings and a construction plan to the city to get the rest of it completed and in compliance," Hickman said.

TLCA must choose which option to pursue and will have 60 days to install sprinklers or 90 days to complete the fire separation walls process, he said.

TLCA's five-day delayed start was approved by the Texas Education Agency, and the school's calendar will be amended and more closely resemble Midland ISD's as a result, Rives said.